Black Ballads and Bloody White Paper
by FragilePuzzle
Summary: After the Kira case, Near is all alone...but not for long. Beyond Birthday is back, and he wants revenge, as well as a bit of pleasure for himself--he wants L, but Mello and Near will just have to do. Bloody kink, rape, and vanilla lemon. BB/N, BB/M, M/N.
1. Un

**A/N: **This was partially a request for LURVEuALL, who wanted bloody kink, and partially for Spulah, who wanted a BB/Mello/Near fic, though this isn't a threesome in that sense. It's more BB/Mello, BB/Near, and Mello/Near, so **it involves rape, sadism, and bloody kink**. Don't flame me about this if those are your squicks. However, there is also one innocent (Is there such a thing?) lemon at the end of the story (or, in the next chapter). : D

Also, sorry I haven't been writing much lately… ^ ^;;; I actually have a fever of 104 right now—damn pig AIDS. (Swine Flu XD) But I figured I owed you guys something to read.

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They were just like him. Near, he was the most like him. With his alabaster skin and gray eyes, his cute skinny hands with long, delicate fingers; he even thought like him. Black lashes caressed porcelain with every blink, and Beyond could always tell when the wheels in his brain were turning like they did—he was like L…just like L.

Mello, though. Mello was like L as well—he acted like L, he had the motivation and the attitude that Near lacked. While he did not resemble L as much as the other boy did, he certainly had his charms. If you put the two of them together, you would have L…L, the one Beyond wanted, yet could not have. His eyes…the eyes that Mello and Near had as well. Their eyes made Beyond so envious—both of them had eyes just like him. They held so much resemblance to his blackish-blue orbs, of which Beyond had none. While they could see the world through eyes tainted with justice, Beyond was forced to see things through the cursed eyes of the shinigami, blood red staining his every action.

It was never easy, seeing the death of everybody around you. He only wished he could see the death of the world as well. Beyond wished to tear their eyes from their heads, to rip those beautiful orbs from their very sockets, so he might have a chance to see things as they did…no, he wanted to see as L did.

He wanted L, but L was dead.

So they would have to do instead.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Near sat on the floor of the SPK, bored as his grey eyes scanned the pile of toys in front of him, spidery-pale finger entwined in white curls. Life had been so dull lately, nothing to do, no places to be…he wished for something to occupy his mind. He had no competition anymore, not now that all of his potential rivals were dead—Kira, or Light Yagami, Beyond Birthday, L…and most especially, Mello. Mello was dead, and that is what made Near's life so hollow. There was no need for him to run anymore, not when Mello wasn't chasing him.

He had thought about Mello so often lately…he had nothing more to focus on. All he wished was for a chance to see the blonde once again. He wanted to talk to him, to try and explain what he had been feeling his whole life, to see exactly how Mello's mind worked. There were so many things he couldn't do now that his adversary was gone.

Near's attention turned to the monitors that lined the walls as he noticed a small movement on one of them, eyes widening slightly as he saw nothing. Halle, Rester, and Gevanni had not been around as often since the Kira case—he had assured them he could take care of himself, but now, he had a small ember of fear at the back of his mind. He must have just been imagining things; maybe he hadn't gotten enough sleep lately.

Looking back to his puzzle, he dumped it out onto the floor and began to put it together again, noticing another flicker of movement on one of the monitors. Now he was slightly nervous—there must have been somebody there, he couldn't just blame it on lack of sleep anymore. However, his mind was put slightly to rest as he remembered that there were guards outside, he wasn't completely alone. It could have possibly just been one of the guards walking around, and he was just overreacting…anything to put his mind slightly at ease.

Suddenly, Near heard the doors behind him open. The small boy didn't turn around immediately, but he simply grabbed a nearby robot and tilted it slightly, gray eyes flickering to its shiny surface and seeing the reflection of the person behind him. It was…somebody he didn't exactly recognize, yet somebody who bore a strong resemblance to somebody he knew all too well.

"Hello," he said calmly, trying to disguise the fear in his voice. What had happened to the guards? Who was this man, and how did he get in?

"You look even more like him in real life than you do in pictures…" smiled the man, taking a few timid steps across the room, revealing to Near a large, blood-stained knife. "You've grown so much since the last time Beyond saw you…back at Wammy's, you were only about three…so cute, Beyond remembers playing robots and puzzles with you. Beyond sees you still like them, don't you?"

"Who has informed you of Wammy's?" asked Near, hand nervously clenching around the puzzle piece that rested in his palm. "How do you know about me—"

"You don't recognize your old playmate?" the man asked, hand squeezing the knife until his knuckles turned white. "Then again, Beyond doesn't look the same as he used to…but you don't remember Beyond…B.B?"

"You are not Beyond Birthday, Beyond is dead—"

"Beyond does not feel dead," the L-lookalike smiled, interrupting Near and making his way across the rest of the room, now towering behind the smaller boy. "But maybe Near shall…what does Near think of that?"

Now was one of those times Near wished his legs worked more properly—his muscles had gotten even worse after the Kira case ended, as he had done even _less_ walking and moving than he had done before. However, since now was a life-or-death situation, he figured it might be appropriate to at least _try_ to run away…

He felt the man's spidery fingers entwine in his hair, knife tracing light shapes along the soft skin of his scalp. Slowly, hot breath was against his neck, and Beyond's lips were at his ear.

"Now it's time for Nate to learn big-boy games,"

"Release me," Near demanded. "There are guards out there, over forty surrounding the entire proximity, all highly trained. I could have them come in here and shoot Beyond on sight…if Beyond is to release me, he shall not—"

It was then that the small white-haired boy realized Beyond hadn't said "Near" but "Nate"…his true name. Nobody knew that—anybody who could have possibly known it was dead, buried six feet underground, their ashes lying on the floor of a church, their hole-filled body disposed of anonymously at a morgue.

"Nate…you silly little boy," the man laughed, his chuckle a strange 'hyuk hyuk hyuk.' "How do you think Beyond got in here?"

The man then pressed the blade of the knife up against the back of his head, leaving a smear of hot, red blood in his previously pure white hair. Near stiffened up at this feeling, but he still did not attempt to move—he had to plan more, he hadn't found an effective solution for escaping, he only needed mere minutes to finish his preparation. However, what he didn't know is that he wouldn't be given the opportunity to stall this man for a few more minutes. A cloth practically dripping with chloroform was pressed over his mouth and nose, and that was when he began to struggle to the best of his abilities.

"Shh, Nate, just sleep," the man cackled, slamming Near's head against the hard, tile floor of the SPK building. He was extremely dizzy now, spots flickering in front of his vision, and everything in the room blurring together, but he knew that he couldn't allow himself to pass out. If he did, who knew when he would wake up…of _if_ he would wake up? Kicking and struggling once again, not having much of an effect on the killer, it was seemingly a miracle when Near managed to land a kick in the man's gut. He choked slightly, coughing for a moment, allowing Near time to try and run away—he didn't get far.

"Ah, ah, ah, Nate…" the man said, watching the small, white-haired boy's pathetic attempt to escape. "You shouldn't have kicked Beyond. Such a naughty boy…hyuk…this could have been painless for you. Ah well, it seems to Beyond as though Nate chose the painful way."

One last, shaky scream escaped the small detective's throat, and then there was physical pain like he had never felt before. A sickening crunch was the last thing he heard before everything went black.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Near…"

"Near!"

"Sheep cripple, wake the fuck up!"

Near's head spun as he attempted to open his eyes, the lids feeling as though they were lead. His head hurt like nothing ever had before, and he could feel that his hands were tied behind his back; his feet bound in front of him. As his slightly-cracked eyes began to adjust to what little, dim light there was in the room, he could see that he was in a basement of some sort…somebody else was down there with him. They were right next to him, he could tell by the direction of their voice, and he could also slightly sense their presence—however, he couldn't turn his head. It was then that it clicked. That voice was so familiar, and there was only one person in the world who had _ever_ called him sheep cripple.

"Mello…?" he asked, voice groggy and laced with pain.

"Thank-fucking-god, Near, I thought you were fucking dead!" he exclaimed, rattling the chains that held his arms to the wall. His voice was cracked, and it sounded like he hadn't had anything to drink in days—it was definitely not the power-filled tone Near was used to hearing, but it was Mello nonetheless. He would have smiled, but he didn't think he could bring his facial muscles to listen to him in any way, shape or form. It was hard enough just top part his lips and begin to speak again.

"Where…why is…'llo…alive?" he muttered, his words not coherent, but formed enough for Mello to understand what he was asking.

"I've been down here for almost two weeks…at least," he replied. "Right after the Kira case ended…I didn't die…Beyond was in the truck too, and he held Takada hostage, and made her call Light and say that she killed me…once Light heard that, he killed Takada with his Death Note. She set the church on fire, and Beyond made me leave my rosary behind to make it look like I died— my 'body' was just burned in the fire…and then he told me that he had you, so I…was stupid, and I followed him back here. But…do you know where my rosary is? My mother gave it to me…"

"I have it around my neck," Near assured the blonde, coughing a few times, the spinning in his head slowing as he tried to comprehend everything. Beyond wasn't…dead, he had somehow escaped the mental hospital for the criminally insane, as well as Light's judgment. After that, he watched the Kira case from behind the scenes—he wasn't able to save L, so he figured saving Mello and Near would be the next best thing. He then put his plan into action and lured Mello back to…wherever they were…with the promise of finding him. There was only one thing that didn't make sense.

"Why would Mello….come back….here…to save me….if Beyond really did have…me…?" he asked, voice becoming clearer as the pain began to dull slightly. "It is the only reason…he was able to take you, was it not?"

"I just….he's a fucking serial killer, Near! You could have died—"

"Beyond is a serial killer?" a third voice asked, cackles surrounding every word. "Beyond does not think that little Mihael means that…do you, Mihael?"

"N-No," the blonde quickly said, voice filled with fear as the man took a few steps forward and exposed himself to the both of them. He held a sharp knife in one hand, and a jar of strawberry jam in the other, his eyes intimidating and bright red. Near suddenly tensed up as he spoke Mello's real name…how could he possibly know both of their real names? Had he somehow hacked Wammy's database and found their records?

"Good, good," the man said, scooping out a handful of strawberry jam with one hand after dropping his knife on the floor, only inches away from their feet. "Now…Beyond has both of you. L would be ashamed that you let yourselves be captured so easily…L always loved Beyond better, anyhow."

"Then why… did L call Beyond 'Backup?'" Near asked coolly, attempting to stretch his legs and grab the knife with his toes. "It is obvious….that Beyond was only a prototype…"

Beyond suddenly lunged forward and grabbed on to Near's neck with a sticky, jam-covered hand, the fruit-flavored topping cold against the small boy's flesh. Near, eyes wide with fright and surprise, attempted to squirm back, but he only hit the cool dirt-and-stone wall of whatever sort of room they were in. Beyond's eyes were raging, and his grip on Near's throat tightened with every word he spoke.

"Beyond…Beyond is Beyond's name. Not Backup. It was never Backup, because L loved Beyond. He would never do something to hurt Beyond's feelings."

Near wanted to continue to speak, but he caught Mello's expression out of the corner of his eye. The blonde looked utterly terrified…whatever the black-haired man had done to him must have had a very profound effect, because Near had never seen Mello scared of anything, much less a person. The only time he had seen Mello look this intimidated was when Roger threatened to take away the boy's chocolate supply, back in the days when they lived at Wammy's. He didn't want to see Mello like this…it scared him more than anything this man could do.

"Such a bad boy, Beyond thinks…" the raven-haired man muttered, dragging his fingertips up Near's neck, causing the small boy to shudder as icy chills traveled his body. "You should never talk back to your betters. Mihael has learned that. Maybe it's time to teach Nate that?"

"Leave him alone," demanded the blonde, tugging at the rusty steel chains that held him close to the wall, the determined look Near always knew him to have back on his face. "He didn't do anything to you…don't touch him!"

Beyond slipped his hand up the bottom of Near's shirt, laughing as Mello tugged on his chains again, the look on his face intensifying and silently screaming that he was going to kill Beyond—not that he could do much about it, with the position he was in now. Beyond's touches didn't seem to affect Near much—he only tried to move back slightly, hating the feeling of the pale man's spidery fingers against his warm, soft stomach. It didn't stop there—it seemed as though Beyond was more amused by Mello's anger than Near's disgust, so he continued to push Near's shirt up, eyes affixed on Mello's face as it flickered and contorted with hatred. Near only turned his head away, resting his cheek against the cool cement of the wall, trying to ignore the feeling of Beyond's hands against his skin, trying to block out the sound of Mello's breath hitching and the jingling of chains as the blonde attempted to pull away. They both knew better than to say anything, however…not with the twisted smile that was gracing Beyond's face.

Near could now feel the very tip of an extremely sharp knife tracing the tender skin on his stomach—the man had picked up the knife off of the floor, and was now slowly popping the buttons on the smaller boy's shirt off…one by one, they fell to the hard floor, gently rolling and tapping in different directions.

"Nate…you might be L's successor, but look at how weak you are. Beyond could kill you right now."

Near gasped loudly as Beyond dragged the knife up his stomach, leaving a thin cut that gently dripped and trickled bright red blood down his chest. It didn't particularly hurt, he knew that it was just a superficial flesh wound, but the feeling of the cold knife a twelfth of an inch into his flesh caused him to choke and cough slightly, eyes squeezing shut with fear more than anything.

"See…Beyond was right," the black-haired copycat laughed.

"Beyond, don't _touch_ him!"

There was silence for a moment, and Beyond slowly cocked his head to look at Mello, removing his hands and the knife from Near. He brought the glistening silver blade to Mello's throat, tracing a line across it but not piercing the skin…yet. It seemed to Near that he was teetering dangerously on the verge of doing so. However, the blonde didn't so much as flinch. Mello just gazed at Beyond with those piercing blue eyes that had always intimidated Near when he was younger, and the blonde would threaten to beat him up. It was strange to see them used on somebody else, especially when they were being used on somebody else in his defense.

"Mihael…Mihael…Mihael…" he whispered slowly, grabbing on to a lock of Mello's golden hair, the same that Near knew Mello had always treasured and taken pride in. "What did Beyond teach you about talking back?"

"I'm not scared of you," he said, voice not quavering in the least. "Do what you want. You won't kill me. I know you won't. After all…if you killed me, you'd only have half of L. I know you don't want that, Beyond. Go ahead—look me in the eye and tell me you're going to kill me. I dare you to."

Beyond didn't respond. He seemed paralyzed for a moment, but with a twitch from Mello as the knife pressed slightly closer against his throat, Beyond snapped out of the trance-like state he had been in. It was then that he yanked Mello's head forward; away from where it rested on the wall; grabbing the chunk of his prized hair and slicing it clean off with the knife. He had an enraged look on his face as he threw the golden locks down in front of the man, but his tactic seemed to have little to no effect on Mello.

"Next time Beyond will slice your throat," he said, voice seeming sincere and hateful, but his eyes drifting away from contact with the blonde and back over towards Near.

"I'd like to see you try," he spat angrily.

Beyond didn't respond to Mello's attempts to distract him from Near this time. He just turned his attention back to the smaller of the two, quickly pulling on his shirt and slicing it up the arms, allowing it to fall to the floor without having to take off the ropes and chains that kept him bound in place.

"Beyond knows exactly how to hurt Mello…he shouldn't have talked back, or Beyond wouldn't had to do this," the man shrugged, beginning to untie the ropes that held Near's legs together. He then slipped the smaller boy's pants off, tossing them over to some abandoned corner of the room, Near now only in his pure white boxers. After turning to Mello and smirking again, Beyond undid the rest of the bindings that held Near in place, leaving the white-haired boy to escape—if only he could. Even if it weren't for Beyond, Near probably couldn't even walk across a room. He always was so weak and fragile, having to be protected in a glass case, just like a porcelain doll.

"Scream," the raven-haired man demanded, grabbing on to Near's chin and forcing the boy to look at him. "Scream…as loud as you can. Beyond wants you to scream."

Near made no move at all, his eyelids just fluttering as Beyond shoved his head back up against the wall. He expected the boy to cry out in pain, anything, but it seemed as though they were past the point of physical pain—he remembered that Near must be much more immune to physical pain than others, considering how much the blonde had tormented him back at home-sweet-home Wammy's.

"If you won't scream for you, scream for Mihael," he cackled, taking a few steps to the right and crouching down in front of the blonde man. "Scream for Beyond, or Beyond will hurt Mihael…Nate doesn't want that, does he?"

Near didn't do anything, but his gray eyes were affixed on Mello's face, watching as it flickered with fear…now that Beyond wasn't looking. That must have been it—Mello was terrified, but he refused to show that to Beyond. Even as the black-haired man brought the knife to Mello's stomach, twisting the very tip of it back and forth, neither successor did anything. It wasn't until Beyond pressed down on the knife slightly, continuing to twist it, the sharp point just about to rip through the skin…that was when Near screamed.

The perfect and high-pitched noise resounded throughout the small room, and Near's eyes turned to Mello, making sure that he wasn't in physical pain. It didn't appear as though he was, but there was a slight look of shock on his face—he had never heard Near scream, not in any way, shape, or form. He would never show Mello pain, no matter how much the blonde would hit him…but now that Mello's own life was threatened, he seemed more than willing to scream for their tormenter.

"Louder," he said again, red eyes flickering back over to Near. "Scream louder, Nate. It sounds so sweet…"

Near let out another shriek, his voice cracking towards the end. It was obvious it was causing him pain, but mentally and physically, but he bore it to the best of his abilities and let out another cry. Beyond let out a small groan, and Mello looked back towards him instead of Near, seeing why he was asking Near to scream for him.

"You sick fuck!" the blonde accused, voice filled with fury. "How the fuck can you get a hard-on from hearing somebody's fucking screams, you twisted bastard?!"

"Keep your sweet little mouth shut or Beyond will stab you anyways, Mihael," hissed the killer, dragging the knife up to Mello's throat and gesturing for Near to scream again. The small boy complied, his voice wavering more and more with each cry, his throat becoming dry and hoarse as Beyond continued to force him to scream. Finally, the man moved back over to Near, whose normally pale and perfect face was red, his forehead glittering with the smallest of sweatdrops.

"So cute," he chuckled, his erection now straining against his baggy blue jeans, ones that looked like L's all-too-much. "Not to mention relatively compliant…that makes Beyond very happy, Nate…you've been a good boy."

Near's eyes flickered for a moment, coming up to meet Beyond's with confidence mere moments later. He didn't want to lose like this…Beyond wouldn't get the best of him. However, when the black-haired man flipped him over so he was lying on his stomach, the side of his face against the dirty floor, he couldn't help but dread what he knew was going to happen next.

"Don't _touch_ him!" Mello cried, yanking on the chains as hard as he possibly could.

Beyond slowly tugged down Near's underwear, chuckling as the small boy shivered with cold, laugh growing louder and harder as he saw how angry-looking Mello was. He grabbed his knife again, tracing nameless shapes along the soft skin of Near's back, the cushioned flesh of his ass. Holding deathly still, Near felt as Beyond slid the knife back and forth between his prominent shoulderblades, the cold metal sending tiny shivers up his spine.

"Beyond, stop it, you sick twisted fucking bastard Backup! L hated you! He wanted to get rid of you, to leave you on the streets, you're a defective piece of shit! You say he'd be ashamed of us, but he'd hate you for turning to crime! This is _illegal_, Beyond! L wouldn't hesitate to give you the fucking death penalty!"

The raven-haired lookalike ignored Mello's every word, no matter whether it was an insult or a plea for him to stop. He just undid his pants, chucking harshly as he hitched Near on to his knees, slipping his own underwear down and exposing his dripping erection. Roughly, and without warning, he shoved into the smaller boy—a hiss of pain fell from his own lips, a scream from Near's, and a strangled cross between a shriek of anger and a cry of despair from Mello's. The blonde couldn't stand watching as Near's face quickly turned red and dripped with sweat, contorting with pain as his eyes clenched shut and his mouth opened to let another screaming whimper tear its way from his throat.

It was hell for his rival.

But it was hell for him too.

Beyond was breaking what he had tried to break for so many years…but it finally hit him that Near was already broken. Maybe…it was now that he saw he was broken…now, he wanted to fix him. A small pit of guilt had always formed itself in his stomach every time he made the smaller boy bleed, and that small pit had grown bigger and bigger until it finally erupted with remorse and regret. Now that their rivalry was out of the way, now that they were on the same side, Mello's eyes were no longer blinded.

The blonde was snapped out of his train of thought as he finally watched Near's last wall being torn down. Gasping and attempting to crawl away from the raven-haired man, Near was continuously yanked back and thrust into again, eliciting another cry of pain and another groan of pleasure. Mello simply could not look away—it was like a train wreck, and he was in the passenger seat of a car that was driving by. He couldn't help it as his eyes tore themselves away from the dashboard and glanced out the window, seeing that terrible scene. As much as he wanted to look away, he couldn't manage to, and it was torturous.

One last scream, one last, low groan of pleasure, and then there was silence, spare the harsh pants of labored breathing. The small, white-haired boy dropped to his stomach, letting out another helpless whimper as Beyond roughly pulled out of him. He inched himself along the cold floor, a small bit of blood mixed with hot, sticky cum dripping down his thighs, his hair matted to his forehead. It was the most pitiful sight Mello had seen, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Beyond will see the two of you later," Beyond cackled, pulling his pants and underwear up with a satisfied groan. "Beyond has…errands to run."

Neither of them watched as the stairs creaked, and the basement door was slammed shut and locked. However, Mello could hear Near's hiccupping, irregular breath, and he attempted to whisper some words that would soothe the boy…but it seemed as though no sound could make it past his lips.

"Me…llo…?" whispered Near, his voice cracked and nearly silent. "May I…please…lie next to Mello…?"

The only sound in the room was the rattling of chains as Mello attempted to move himself closer to the bruised and battered boy. Pale arms shook as Near attempted to pull himself up, and he was only able to drag himself a few feet before he collapsed, his head of white curls landing in the blonde's lap.

"You can sleep…" the blonde man muttered, leaning down and attempting to pull Near further into his lap, as though he could keep the broken boy safe. "I'll keep watch…and I'll…make sure he doesn't hurt you again."

As much as Mello wanted to believe that he didn't mean those words, that he wasn't willing to protect the small boy he was supposed to hate so dearly…he couldn't bring himself to say 'Just kidding!" when he took a look at the small boy's serene face. It seemed as though he trusted Mello, despite all of the things the blonde had done to him.

They would have to be on the same side, for the time being.

* * *

**End Note: **I'm such a crazy sadistic bitch. O.o To think that I did that to my two favorite characters…what the hell am I going to do to characters I /don't/ like?? Anyways, I'm lazy and decided to make this into a twoshot. XD Be on the lookout for the next part, if you haven't already ran away.

~FragilePuzzle


	2. Deux

**A/N: **Here's part two of Black Ballads… ^ ^ I lied. I'm a lazy slacker. THERE IS ONE MORE PART. THIS IS PART 2/3. PLEASE DON'T SHOOT ME. Anyways...I was listening to Owl City while I was writing this. I love their song "Hello Seattle" -- it's about the only one I actually like. XD

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Eyes snapped open as the sound of a door creakingly unbolting hit nervous ears, and as the stairs down to the floor of the basement creaked, lips were bitten in a desperate attempt to remain quiet and appear fearless. A narrow beam of light unfurled along the floor, and visions readjusted, only for the two successors to see their kidnapper.

It had been about three days, give or take, since Beyond had raped Near and left. It was hard to keep track of the time when you couldn't see the sun rise and fall, and when there was no sign of human life other than your only companion. However…now Beyond was back, and he looked relatively happy, which was either very good for his two hostages, or very bad. Mello could feel Near tense up, which caused a angry scowl to creep on to his own scarred face, hands that were still cuffed to the wall clenching into fists.

"Hello Mihael, Nate…Beyond missed you while Beyond was gone," he chuckled, revealing to them a bag that he held behind his back. Near was still lying naked in Mello's lap, not really having moved for the last few days, both of their stomachs growling and their mouths parched—however, they had made a silent pact. They weren't about to beg Beyond to give them food, or warmer clothes…no matter what happened. They were L's successors, and they weren't going to give up, especially not to some kind of maniac like Beyond.

However, a hiss escaped Mello's lips as the raven-haired man walked over to them and yanked Near out of Mello's lap, giggling as he looked at him, as a child with a brand new toy does. He pulled an outfit out of the bag, the blonde's eyes narrowing and his lips curving into a disgusted sneer as he saw what it was—Beyond hoisted Near up and began to dress him in the skimpy black-and-white French maid uniform, the small boy coughing as he was roughly jostled about. After Beyond was finished, he handed Near a large glass of room-temperature water, gesturing for the small boy to drink it all. He complied almost immediately, parched and dry throat begging for relief, a small contented sigh escaping his lips after his first drink. However, as he watched Beyond make his way over to Mello, his eyes widened as the man took out his knife and cut the blonde's clothes off. It was after a moment of thinking that the man decided to drop Mello's outfit on the floor, pulling a key out of his pocket and unlocking Mello's handcuffs and the chains that kept his legs bound together.

Just as the blonde was about to lunge for the kidnapper, the raven-haired copycat darted over to Near and pressed the sharp edge of his knife to his throat, the small boy's breath nervously hitching.

"Mihael…you just change, and be a good boy, or Beyond will slit his throat…" the man cackled, dragging the knife across the tender skin on Near's neck, looking as though he were seriously considering breaking the soft flesh there. "Besides, Beyond would think that you like your outfit…you've always had a fondness for leather, if Beyond remembers correctly."

Mello looked as though he wanted to pummel Beyond, but he gently took a step back and bent over to grab the glass of water the man had left for him, taking a large drink before picking up the outfit the man had chosen for him to wear. It was a leather dominatrix outfit with long sleeves and a high neck, laces decoratively covering the skintight black material. There was also a pair of garter tights, hooks and straps intricately connecting the sheer black material to the outfit itself. Blue eyes narrowed as he looked at the provocative outfit, but he quickly began to put it on as Beyond pressed the knife so hard against Near's throat, it elicited a whimper of pain from the small boy. Finally, the both of them were changed, and Beyond added one last bow in Near's hair as the final touch. After chaining Mello back up again, he attached a leash around Near's neck and made the smaller boy stand on shaky legs in order to show off his outfit to the blonde.

It was a strapless Lolita-inspired outfit, frills surrounding his waist to poof out into a small skirt, one that barely covered his groin. It was extremely short, and it showed off his thin legs, which were still wobbling dangerously—as Mello's eyes traveled up, he saw that his torso was covered with white ribbons crisscrossing to form a corset, bows adorning every inch of the black material that wasn't already covered with lace and ribbons. In any other circumstance, Mello would have been as hard as a cement wall by now, but the look of fear and pain on Near's face as Beyond roughly yanked on his plain leather leash was enough to drive any erotic thoughts from his mind.

"Do you like what you see, Mihael? Beyond thinks that you do…" he cackled, shoving Near to his knees in front of the blonde, small kneecaps letting out a dull crack as they hit the hard floor. The small boy let out a strangled cry, silencing himself a moment later by biting down on his lip as hard as he could, causing a look of fury to rip on to Mello's face.

"I'm not a twisted fuck like you, Beyond," he said, voice harsh as he attempted to reach out and touch Near, only being able to tug on his chains helplessly. "Seeing other people in fucking pain doesn't give me boners."

Beyond laughed his cruel laugh once again, pulling Near back to his feet, the small boy's knees now bruised and scraped—thankfully, it didn't appear as though they were broken. However, as he led the white-haired boy over to the stairs of the basement, Mello tugged on his chains roughly again, his voice much more full and flushed now that he had drank something, soothing the parched muscles of his throat.

"Where are you going?" he asked angrily, the leather of his dom outfit barely allowing any breathing room, making it particularly hard to yell.

"Beyond will bring Nate back in a few minutes," the man assured the angry blonde, 'helping' the small boy up the wooden stairs by yanking harshly on his leash, the metal chain jingling softly.

The door of the basement opened, shut, and the only noise that came from the basement was an exhausted cry from Mello.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Near's eyes were suddenly exposed to more light than he had seen in a while, gray orbs blinking rapidly as they attempted to adjust to the newfound vision-giver. However, Beyond didn't deem it necessary to give him time to adjust—the man just yanked on his leash, apparently dead-set on leading him somewhere. The small boy had no choice but to follow the raven-haired man through the old, musty-smelling house, even as he heard more agitated cries come from the basement…he wanted to give Mello some sign that he was okay, but he couldn't seem to form any words as his throat was constricted harshly, Beyond apparently fed up with his lack of movement.

"Let's go, Nate, now isn't the time for sightseeing…" he said harshly. However, the boy could still see the dirty house—the walls were stained with a bright red, which the small boy first thought was blood, but after a moment, realized that it was strawberry jam. There were clothes on the floor, some stained and some covered in jam or dirt, and there were also shards of glass that Near and his bare feet had to work very hard to avoid. He didn't know what the glass was from, exactly, but when he saw the starburst jam designs on the walls, it appeared as though Beyond had busied himself by throwing the jam jars against the wall.

Finally, the copycat led the small boy into a dirty, seemingly-unused bathroom—there was only one thing that looked out-of-place. It was a package of hair dye…raven black. But, before the white-haired boy had a chance to think about it, Beyond was shoving him on to his knees and yanking the bow out of his hair, pulling his maid's dress down so it was lying limply on the floor around his knees. He rolled up the sleeves to his plain black shirt, ripping open the box of dye, not bothering to read the instructions before tugging on the pair of disposable gloves that resided in the box and squeezing the black paste into his waiting hand. Beginning to lather it into Near's hair, he paid no mind as some got on the small boy's scalp, causing a hiss of pain to fall from his lips as the chemicals burned at his skin.

After a few minutes of having Beyond roughly yanking at his hair, Near was left to sit perfectly still for ten minutes while the man watched him, smile growing wider as his hair grew blacker. It took a minute for Near to register why the man was doing this—the heavy fumes in the bathroom weren't doing his already-dulled thinking process much good—but he finally came to the realization that Beyond must be doing this to make him look more like L.

Finally, when the dye was almost ready to be washed out, Beyond ran out into the other room and grabbed another box off of a table, bringing it back into the bathroom and opening it. It was a plain, black device that slightly reminded Near of salad tongs, but when the L-lookalike plugged it into the wall, he realized that it must be some sort of bathroom tool. As he looked at the box, there was a picture of a woman running locks of her hair through the device…they went in curly and came out straight. It must be for straightening curls, using extreme heat to partially melt the strands of hair into place.

The small boy didn't have much time to mull over this newfound device before Beyond decided that it was time to rinse out his hair. He roughly shoved the boy forward, the warm flesh of his stomach coming into contact with the cold porcelain of the bathtub, a gasp falling past his lips. Near flinched as Beyond grabbed on to his neck and forced his head down, turning on the water to the bathtub, allowing the slightly rust-colored liquid to flow out of the faucet full-pressure. Shoving Near's head underneath the water, he seemed to ignore the small boy's coughing and sputtering as water flooded his open mouth, a bit of black dye mingling with the water that flowed out of his now-black locks.

After Beyond roughly rinsed and washed his hair, treating Near just as a small girl treats a doll she was just given—roughly and without care, not that she doesn't care for it, but she's just quite disregarding—the man pulled Near back up to his feet and began to dry his soaking hair, the dress he was given now around his knees, nothing covering him up. Feeling so vulnerable, he just awaited the sickening touch he thought was going to come…and it did. His hair was straight, jet-black now, and as Beyond forced him to look in the mirror, he realized that he bore a very disturbing resemblance to L. They had almost the same eyes, and now the same hair, the same pale skin, the same thin fingers, the same pale lips; the same lanky figure…it was almost as though he was a younger, more baby-faced replica of the detective.

"You look so much like him, Nate," the man giggled, wrapping his arms around the boy and tracing his deathly-cold fingers across the small boy's nipples. "It's almost like Beyond has L, again!"

Near didn't say anything, his body only stiffening as Beyond's perverted hands ventured lower, icy digits now tracing nameless shapes along his prominent hipbones. However, as the straightening iron beeped to signal that it was hot enough to use, the man pulled away from Near and clicked the device together a few times, grabbing on to a lock of the small boy's newly-black hair and clasped on to it, slowly pulling it through the black straightener.

"Make sure to hold extra-still for Beyond…" the man whispered, his smile growing wider as he continued to shape Near's hair into that of L's. "This part is very crucial, and Beyond cannot make a mistake…"

This went on for a few minutes, and Beyond was almost finished when Near's left knee bent slightly, threatening to give out once again. The man's bright red eyes fluttered over to him angrily, and he quickly pressed a side of the hot straightener against his neck, eliciting a loud cry of pain as his flesh quickly turned red and blistered. After a few seconds of holding it there, Near's cry growing waveringly louder as his skin melted and sizzled, the raven-haired man pulled it away with a cackle.

"Beyond told you to hold still," he chuckled, dropping the straightener haphazardly into the sink, yanking the cord out of the wall when he decided he was done. "But Nate, now you look so much more beautiful…white is such an ugly color. Your hair lied, anyways…white is supposed to be pure and innocent, which Beyond took away. Beyond took away Lawli's privilege to wear white, too, Nate…so don't feel left out, you're just like Lawli now!"

With another sick laugh, Beyond began to re-dress Near, lacing up the maid's uniform around his small frame, placing the black-and-white bow back in his hair. Eyes flickering back over to the mirror, Near realized that he couldn't even recognize his own reflection anymore.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Miiiiiiihaaaeeeelll!"

Mello looked up as Beyond led Near back down the stairs into the dark basement, the small boy whimpering slightly. The blonde man had heard his screams from downstairs, and he was absolutely furious, wondering what the sicko had done to him this time. However, he didn't have to wait long—turns out, there were actually lights in the basement, and Beyond turned them on to show Mello how he had marked the small boy this time.

There was a blistering red mark on his neck, reminding Mello of the burn scars that covered half of his face, back what seemed like so many years ago, when they were still fresh. But before he had a chance to scream at Beyond for permanently scarring the small boy, he noticed Near's hair. His previously snowy-white locks, the same that Mello had always longed to touch, that reflected the sunlight…those angelic curls…they were dyed a pitch black, his curls now melted into sickeningly straight hair—if Mello hadn't known better, he could have mistaken Near for L himself.

"What did you—!!"

"It is…alright…Mello…" whispered Near, his eyes traveling over the thin blonde, who he had not been able to completely see until now. The dim lightbulbs in the basement illuminated his still-shiny hair, his blue eyes that still remained filled to the brim with passion, despite the fact that Near's were hollow, and the blonde had been trapped here for much longer than Near had.

Suddenly, something on the opposite wall of the basement, the wall that had been previously shrouded and completely hidden in darkness…it managed to tear Mello's eyes away from Near, if even for the briefest of moments. The blonde's eyes widened as he looked at the wall that must have been twenty feet across, twelve feet high…a wall that was covered with what seemed to be a gigantic timeline.

"What the fuck is that?" he asked, his voice hoarse as his eyes desperately traced the many pictures and notes, seeing so many that he recognized.

Beyond cackled as he threw Near to the floor by Mello's feet, ignoring the small boy as he attempted to crawl away from the killer and back towards the wall, as though his well-being might be preserved if he were close to Mello. It was a moment before Near turned around and watched Beyond as well, his own gray orbs widening as he took in the sight of the timeline.

"You should know what it is…it's the timeline of your lives," he said softly, walking down the length of the wall, tracing his fingers along the many intricate and interweaving lines. There were pictures of the two of them dotted all over the walls, including the sketches that Linda had drawn for Light Yagami—how he got them, they didn't know. It also had their photographs from back in their Wammy days, Mello smirking at the camera, and Near simply giving it a blank look. There were many candid pictures that looked like they were taken from behind bushes or around the corner of walls, some that looked quite recent. It was then that it struck the two successors…Beyond must have been planning their kidnapping for years.

"Beyond knows what Mihael and Nate are thinking," the man said, finally stopping in the middle of the wall, where a gigantic picture of Wammy's resided, separate from everything else. "Beyond has the eyes of a Death God…Beyond knew when Lawli was going to die when he first saw him, but the two of you weren't due to die for long, long after that…so Beyond must focus, and turn Mihael and Nate into Lawli before it is too late…"

"Beyond cannot have Shinigami eyes," Near softly said, looking up at the man. "Beyond had no notebook…it would have been impossible for him to bargain with a Shinigami for the eyes, if he had no notebook, because without a notebook, there is no Shinigami."

"Beyond was special…Beyond was _born_ with the Shinigami eyes, you see," he chuckled, walking over to them. "Beyond can see exactly when Nate and Mihael are going to die…hyuk…and according to their lifespans, death will be no escape from Beyond's grasp."

"We'll escape," Mello whispered, his voice as quiet as he could manage, trying to allow only Near to hear his soothing words. "If we're not going to die, we'll escape. I promise…Near…"

"Beyond is hungry," the man suddenly said, beginning to chew on his thumbnail in what was probably supposed to be a replica of L. "Nate…Beyond wants you go to get some jam. And be quick about it."

Near hesitated for a moment before nodding, trying his best to speedily get himself back on to his feet, every limb in his body shaking with exhaustion and overall muscle weakness. However, miraculously, he was able to get up and walk over towards the stairs, his wobbling legs getting him somewhere. He could feel Beyond's eyes drilling holes in his back, so he sped up his pace, making his way up the steps and opening the basement door, shutting it behind him a moment later.

When Near arrived outside of the basement, he realized that Beyond had trusted him enough to go upstairs…by himself. He was mere moments away from freedom, he had seen the front door, all he had to do was make his way over towards it, turn that heavy deadbolt, unhook that chain, and he was free from this hell. Slowly, the boy walked towards the entryway, going the opposite direction of the kitchen…he wanted to leave, he had to get out of here, he didn't know how much longer he could take it.

A desperate cry from downstairs snapped him out of his trance, and he nearly threw up he was so disgusted by himself…he would have really left Mello here to rot while he escaped? Shaking his head, disgusted, the small boy quickly made his way back to the kitchen, opening one of the cupboards, a few strands of newly-black hair falling into his face as he grabbed a random jam jar and tried to run back downstairs as fast as he could—he heard another cry, and he figured some jam might appease their kidnapper.

In his hurry, Near tripped and fell, slamming his head into the wooden floor, his breath being knocked out of him with the intense fall. Luckily, he managed to keep the jam jar from breaking, and he was back on his feet and making his way back towards the basement door within the minute. Swinging it open, he clumsily made his way back downstairs, seeing that Beyond was tracing thin cuts along the ridges in Mello's scarred cheek. Occasionally, he would press down hard and elicit a cry from the blonde—Near wondered why he was doing it, what Mello had said to agitate him this time, but he decided it would be best to satisfy their tormenter before asking any questions.

"I have brought Beyond his jam," he quickly said, eyes flickering over to Mello's contorted face, seeing the dark red blood trickling out of the paper-thin gashes Beyond had been tracing. The small boy held his arms out, offering the jam to the man as sort of peace-treaty…hoping more than anything that he would take it and leave Mello alone.

The man stalked over to the black-haired boy, dropping his knife on the floor as he plucked the jar of jam out from Near's hand, holding it between only two fingers…Near's breath hitched as he red-eyed man looked up towards him, and there was silence for a moment. It wasn't until the sound of shattering glass hit pale ears did Near realize that he had made some sort of dreadful mistake. Beyond picked him up around the waist, dragging him, kicking and struggling, over to another room in the basement, throwing the boy inside and then shutting and locking the door behind him. Mello could hear Near's desperate pounding on the door, but it only lasted for a moment before there was silence again, and blue eyes suddenly widened as he saw Beyond making his way back towards him. The man picked up his knife and reached his free hand into the pocket of his baggy jeans, pulling out the key to Mello's handcuffs and unlocking the chains that held the blonde in place. It looked as though he was about to do something, but a small, desperate cry from the room Near resided in stopped him.

Near's eyes couldn't help but become affixed on the numerous monitors in the room he was trapped in—the wall-to-wall screens reminded him of the SPK, each one showing a different thing. However, these all showed scenes of what had happened over the course of time the two of them had been trapped here—Beyond was recording everything that happened to them. One screen showed Beyond hitting Mello, presumably before Near arrived, another showed him chopping the lock of the blonde's hair off, and yet another replaying the night he had raped Near. The small boy let out a pitiful cry as he watched this scene, apparently attracting Beyond's attention—he could hear the man cackling right outside of the doorway.

Mello took this opportunity like the golden gift it was. While Beyond was distracted with Near, the blonde yanked his hands out of his unlocked cuffs, kicking until his legs were free as well. Now it was time for the dash…he could tell his muscles weren't going to enjoy it, but he had to go upstairs and find something to fend Beyond off with, and come back down here to rescue Near. So he did. The blonde man ran as fast as he could, dashing up the stairs and throwing the door to the basement open, his eyes rapidly scanning the rooms for something he could use…anything.

Back in Near's newfound cage, all of the monitors suddenly flashed off of playback and on to, what Near guessed, must be happening right at the moment. His eyes widened as he saw that Mello was upstairs, having just arrived out of the basement…he must have escaped, somehow. The blonde was running…the wrong way. The door was the opposite direction—however, Mello arrived in the living room, which was good too, as far as it went in Near's eyes. There were windows in there, he could break one and get out, or get help, he could find some sort of weapon and fend Beyond off, _anything_. This was the closest either of them had ever been to escaping, and Near just hoped that Mello didn't let his damn sentiment get in the way of running. The smaller of the two…would gladly endure any punishment, as long as he knew that there was some hope for Mello.

However, Near's eyes widened as he saw Beyond arrive on the monitor feed. He was heading straight towards Mello, knife gripped tightly in his fist, being absolutely silent—he wanted to scream for Mello to get out of the living room as fast as he could…there was only one doorway that Beyond was going to be blocking any possible exit out of in mere seconds, Near had never felt so helpless as he let out a soft cry, his voice cracking dryly as he tried to yell.

But it was already too late.

* * *

**End Note: **Please don't shoot me for being a slacker? DX I'll be sure to get the next part out ASAP…I promise you I will!!! And the next part will be the best, I swear! D:

~FragilePuzzle


	3. Trois

**A/NL **Okay, for realz, this IS the last part. xD See, parts 'un' 'deux' and 'trois.' I love French numbers. Oh, and as a side note regarding the story, I DO know that you're not supposed to be able to see Shinigami eyes—however, the red in Beyond's eyes isn't the Shinigami eyes. It's just a pair of red contacts.

* * *

Near's eyes widened as he saw Beyond arrive on the monitor feed. He was heading straight towards Mello, knife gripped tightly in his fist, being absolutely silent—he wanted to scream for Mello to get out of the living room as fast as he could…there was only one doorway that Beyond was going to be blocking any possible exit out of in mere seconds, Near had never felt so helpless as he let out a soft cry, his voice cracking dryly as he tried to yell.

But it was already too late.

"Mihael…" he watched Beyond mouth, faintly hearing the noise from upstairs—the scene was taking place right above his head, if you were speaking in terms of architecture, yet he was able to watch the nightmare play out right in front of his eyes. "You…can't…run…"

Mello looked around for something to use to fend off the man, deciding on a heavy-looking lamp off of a nearby table, grabbing it and discovering that it wasn't even plugged in. However, now was no time to contemplate why that was. Instead, he waited until Beyond was just at the right distance…one more step…

Near couldn't breathe as he watched the scene play out. Swinging the lamp at their captor's head, just as he was about to strike, it seemed as though it went in slow motion. For Mello, at least. He was too slow. The blonde man must have missed Beyond's head by less than an inch, but that was still just enough for the raven-haired man to crouch down and gouge Mello in the arm, eliciting a scream that Near could hear crystal-clear, even down in the basement. A millisecond later, there was the shattering of glass and porcelain as the lamp hit the hard, wooden floor, the blonde having dropped it as pain shot up his arm. Now was when he realized that his choices were up.

They say the sound of a heart breaking is always a silent one, but it was not so for Near. He watched as terror flashed on to Mello's face, and the blonde tried to run for the window, ripping open the dusty curtains and pounding on the glass—either trying to break it or get the attention of somebody outside. However, it didn't work…Beyond grabbed on to Mello's hair, yanking him backwards, wrapping an arm around his waist and dragging him over to the area in front of the old-fashioned couch. Mello did something Near would have never expected the old Mello to do—whatever Beyond had broke in him must have been serious, something Near didn't even know could be broken...no, something he didn't even know _existed._

"Please, please Beyond! N-No!!!" he cried, kicking and struggling, continually yanked back by the cackling man. Near could hear the thuds from above his head as Mello's feet dully hit the floor, and one loud thud as Beyond roughly threw him to the floor in front of the couch, his arm bleeding freely now. A single tear made its way down Near's cheek as he realized just how helpless he was, how all he could do was crawl forward on his knees and press his fingertips to Mello's projection on the monitors.

"Mihael…" he heard, watching the man mouth it on the screen. "Why would you try to run from Beyond? Don't you like it here with Beyond?"

Mello was silent until Beyond backhanded him full-force, throwing him to the floor from where he had rested on his knees. There was a hollow crack as Mello's head hit the polished wooden planks, and it was a second before he began to finally speak.

"No…" he whispered, voice quavering with fear and pain, practically on the verge of either angry or terrified tears. "No…No, no, no, no…I-I hate it here! I hate it here, and I hate you, you fucking Backup! J-Just let….let us go!"

The black-haired man grabbed on to the blonde's throat, yanking him up, throwing him on to the couch this time, bright red eyes glinting angrily. Apparently, he didn't like being talked back to. As he grabbed on to Mello's hair again, preparing to slam the blonde's head up against something, the blonde must have decided he didn't want the pain…or he knew what would happen if he didn't give Beyond the answer he wanted.

"W-wait! I-I was lying! I like it here!" he said desperately, Beyond flipping him on to his stomach, his face now pressed into the couch as he continued to kick and struggle. "Please, no, _please_!!!!"

Beyond let a loud, gritty laugh escape his throat as he ripped the zipper of Mello's outfit down, holding the blonde in place by his neck and ankles, threatening to snap either if he tried to run away.

"You should have told Nate I _don't like grape jam_!" he laughed hysterically, obviously having snapped—it wasn't as though he wasn't insane earlier, but as he continued to laugh hysterically as he was unrelenting in beating and stripping the blonde, it was obvious to both successors that he had just crossed a fine line.

"It was my fault…" Near whispered, eyes widening as Mello was finally stripped of the tight leather outfit, Beyond having practically torn it from his lithe frame. Gray eyes searched Mello's face for some kind of sign that he was prepared to keep fighting, but he found none—the blonde's face was red from struggling, a few tearstains gracing his cheeks as he attempted to crawl away again, still thrashing madly. He might have been fighting physically, but mentally, he had given up.

"If only it had been strawberry…" he whispered to Mello, raking his nails down the blonde's back before snapping the button on his pants, causing Near to finally let out a scream of frustration. Beyond heard this, and he must have forgotten that Near was able to see everything, even those he placed him in the monitor-filled room for that very purpose. However, it didn't stop him in the least—encouraging him, if anything.

Near couldn't watch.

So he didn't.

The small boy smacked his hands over his eyes, curling up into the fetal position over by the door to his prison, rocking back and forth and singing a lullaby he remembered from back at the orphanage. He didn't even attempt to open his eyes until the screams and groans and thuds stopped, and a slow, steady hiccupping started in its place. Mello was…crying?

Finally, he opened his eyes to see Mello lying on the floor, his body shaking, and Beyond just sitting on the couch in a replica of what was probably supposed to be L. It sickened him. After a few minutes, Beyond decided it was probably time to cage his pet, so he grabbed on to Mello and the blonde's leather outfit, taking them both back downstairs. Mello was too exhausted to even attempt to put up a fight, and as soon as Near heard them coming down the stairs, the old wooden planks creaking underneath them, he stood by the door.

"Beyond, please let me out," he said calmly, wanting to make sure Mello was okay before anything else.

Beyond heard that Nate wanted a turn to play, so he tossed Mihael down in the corner, dropping his clothes on his nearly-still body. The blonde was breathing, yes, but just barely. Finally, he made his way across the room and opened the door to the monitor-filled room, seeing Nate…he looked just like a little porcelain doll, his cheeks stained with tears, and his eyes wide and glistening. He was like a porcelain doll of Lawli in a cute little maid's dress.

"I think that Nate should be Beyond's doll," the man said, reaching out and tracing his fingers along the soft roundness of Near's cheek. "Go sit over by the wall, and don't move a muscle. You're going to be Beyond's doll."

It was obvious that the man had snapped now, but Near did as he said…he didn't want to make him mad now that it was obvious he would do anything when pushed to the limit. Sitting down by the wall, Near allowed his body to go limp, the only thing moving his gray eyes. Running upstairs and coming back down a moment later, it appeared as though Beyond had brought back down a brush. He was like a child with a new toy—or more specifically, a young girl with a new doll. The first thing she wanted to do was brush its hair, of course.

Pulling the small boy into his lap, Beyond sat himself down on the floor next to Near, giggling softly as he began to yank the brush through Near's tangled strands of hair. However, as his own stomach growled, his face took a much more serious turn. Red eyes flickered over to Mello, who was attempting to struggle back into his clothes, nearly dressed when Beyond spoke up.

"Mihael, since Nate couldn't seem to get food-related matters correct last time, Beyond would like you to go cook Beyond some food. There is raw meat in the fridge…warm some of that up, but don't cook it. Bring Beyond that and a jar of jam. Make sure it's not grape this time…or Beyond believes that Mihael will know what is to happen to him."

Mello could feel absolute anger swelling in his chest as he watched Beyond continue to brush Near's jet-black hair, the small boy holding completely limp and still, just like he was a doll—just as Beyond had asked him to be. Neither of them wanted to infer his wrath now that they knew exactly what the consequences would be. However, as the Mello shakily stood up, making his way over to the stairs, Near's pleading eyes followed him…begging him to do something, anything. He didn't know how much longer he could stand this.

"But Mihael, if you try to escape, Beyond will kill Beyond's pretty porcelain doll!" he giggled, cupping Near's cheek in his hand, pulling the small boy further into his lap. "Beyond will smash it until it breaks!"

Mello nodded obediently before walking up the stairs, forming a plan in his head, small smile creeping on to his face as he let the ingenious idea ferment. As he arrived at the top of the stairs, opening the door that led to the musty-smelling house, he put on his poker face, afraid that Beyond might be watching on the security cameras Near told him were spread throughout the house, recording every moment of their torture for the perfect playback. Making his way into the kitchen, Mello opened and closed cupboards at random, looking for some sort of frying pan that he could use for heating up…Beyond's raw snack. How disgusting. He had rarely seen the man eat, probably because he did it upstairs while the two of them were sleeping in their dank prison, but he had no idea the copycat would go as far as eating raw meat…didn't he know you could get dreadfully sick from consuming undercooked animals, especially with all of the diseases they had gotten in those cramped farms and processing factories?

Thinking of Beyond pressing those tainted lips to Near's pure, perfect ones made Mello want to throw a knife at the sick bastard, to smash his head against the wall until it cracked…Mello had never felt this strong of a hatred towards anybody, not even with Kira were his emotions so strong. But with this? This, it had gotten personal.

Finally, the blonde man found a frying pan, and he set it over an open flame on the rusty old stove, waiting for it to heat up. Making his way over to the fridge, he nudged it open with his foot, his eyes watering and his gag reflexes going into full effect as he saw what was inside of the white cooler. There were half-dead flies, worms, and maggots crawling over what looked to be _human_ limbs, blood staining the inside of the refrigerator, the stench only hitting Mello's senses fully a moment later.

Slamming the door shut, the blonde man coughed and leaned over the sink, retching into the silver basin before coughing and sputtering, his throat burning with the acid of his bile. Quickly turning on the tap, he allowed the cool water to rinse the discolored, mostly-liquid vomit from the sink before he leaned down and drank straight from the faucet, rinsing his mouth and spitting it out a moment later. After a few moments of this, he turned back to the fridge, knowing that he had to bring Beyond some sort of food down for his plan to work.

Grabbing a jar of jam and setting it on the counter, making sure that it was strawberry this time, Mello cautiously made his way back over to the fridge, his leather dom outfit tightly constricting his movements—you'd think they would make the outfits more flexible, but they're really not.

After taking a deep breath, the blonde opened the dirty-white door, blindly reaching in and grabbing a limb. After pulling his hand out, he discovered that he had grabbed an arm, crawling with bugs, the skin practically rotted and sliding off of the bone. Closing his eyes, he ran over to the pan and allowed the meat to fall into the sizzling pan with a sickening plop, dropping the bone on the floor less that a second later. He quickly ran back over to the sink, turning the water on hot, rubbing his hands as though his very skin was acid.

"A-AAaah!"

That was when Mello knew he had to hurry. The blonde turned the flame on high, as if trying to heat the lump of rotted flesh faster, grabbing the jam jar while he waited. After loosening the laces on his outfit, knowing that if Beyond was able to punish him for it, it would be the last thing that he was going to get punished for…if this plan didn't work, the both of them were screwed, he would have failed Near.

Mello decided that the meat was heated enough when he heard another scream, and without bothering to turn the flame on the stove off, he grabbed the jam and the still-sizzling frying pan and ran downstairs as fast as his legs would carry him. His hand clenched around the handle of the frying pan as he tried to calmly walk down the stairs, internally screaming with frustration as he saw what Beyond was doing to the small boy. He had two hands on the laces of Near's petite corset that rested around his stomach, and he was pulling on them as hard as he could, kicking and shoving the small boy to try and get them tighter.

"Lawli was skinnier than you!" he shrieked, apparently having noticed an imperfection in Nate's tiny physique and snapped. "You shouldn't be Lawli's successor! You're not beautiful or smart like Lawli!"

Near cried out as Beyond pulled on the laces again, each time the man yanked on the leather-and-silk ties and pulled the corset tighter like a punch in the gut. Mello tried to keep himself calm as he walked over to the two of them, showing the man that he had his food prepared, the raw meat having a bit of warm steam radiating from it, ad Mello could feel that the pan was still as hot as the flame it had been resting on moments earlier. As the raven-haired man saw this, he shoved Near off to the side, standing up to his intimidating height, his butcher's knife in one hand.

"Mihael has done a good job," the man smirked, taking the jam jar from Mello and opening it, beginning to slurp some of it up. "What did he think of Beyond's meat collection?"

"I think…" the blonde started, hands clenching the frying pan until his knuckles turned white. "That you're a sick sonofabitch!"

As Mello spoke this last word, he slammed the bottom of the scalding hot cast-iron frying pan into the side of Beyond's face, hearing a sickening crunch as well as a sizzle. This only stunned the copycat, however, so the blonde pulled it back and slammed it into his face again, this time knocking him to the ground.

And again.

And again.

Before he knew it, there was blood spattering everywhere, Beyond's cries reaching a high falsetto shriek before silencing. If it weren't for Near tugging on his arm, tears rolling down his baby-round cheeks, Mello probably would have kept beating the man until there was nothing left of him save a bloody smear on the floor—however, it wasn't until he heard the smoke alarms upstairs did he remember that he had left the stove on. He had to get Near out of here before they both of them were burned to a crisp. Blue eyes frantically scanned the room, resting on a large pile consisting of several bright red canisters of gasoline. Looking to Near, he beckoned for the small boy to grab one as well, and the two of them grabbed the heavy containers, beginning to douse the basement with the highly flammable liquid, Near taking extra time to make sure the timeline with all of the details of their intricate lives was thoroughly soaked.

"Too bad you couldn't see your own lifespan, bastard," hissed the blonde man, staring at Beyond, the man's face smashed and bloody, his body unmoving.

After dumping the rest of his container on the unconscious body of their tormentor, kicking him in the side for good measure, Mello grabbed Near's hand and led the small boy up the stairs, both of them going as fast as they could…which, in reality, was just quick enough for them to get out on to the front porch before an electrical fire broke out in the musty basement of the old house—the many monitors were burning and sparking, the tapes and records of their escapade burning as well.

And then they ran.

~*~*~*~*~*~

It wasn't until a few days later—those days spent at the SPK after managing to find out where they were, Mello stealing somebody's motorcycle and driving them back to the large glass-and-steel building—did Near and Mello truly have a chance to talk. The blonde man had wandered into Near's bedroom, seeing the small, black-haired boy sitting in the middle of his bed, doing a blank puzzle. His hair had sprung back into curls, and he looked mostly like Near again…Mello still wanted to buy him white hair dye, however. The black was like a punch in the face in the middle of the pure white room…the tainted black didn't seem to suit him in the least.

"Near…" he said softly, knocking on the doorframe, knowing that the small boy knew he was there. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," was his only response.

The blonde walked into the room, hesitating before shutting the door behind him and making his way over to the bed, sitting on the edge. Slowly, he traced his fingers over the burn scar on Near's neck, the flesh slowly healing—however, it seemed as though Near was self-conscious about it. The small boy pulled up his baggy pajama top, making sure that it was covering the healing wound before turning back to his puzzle, hands shaking slightly.

"Are you okay?" the blonde asked, mentally facepalming for asking such a stupid question. Of _course_ Near wasn't okay—hell, neither was he, but he was trying his best to put it aside and comfort the smaller boy when he knew that he needed it most.

"I suppose," Near said softly, twirling a lock of his black hair around his finger, eyes unfocused as he continued to put pieces of his puzzle into place. However, as he picked one up, and set it down—robotically, as he always did, knowing exactly where it went—he set it in the wrong place and pushed down, causing one of the teeth that helped to hold it in place to break off. Gray eyes softly traveled down to the broken piece, and when he realized that he had broken it, his eyes widened slightly.

"That has…never happened…before…" he said softly, thin fingers gripping on to the broken piece, running his index finger back and forth along the side.

"What hasn't?" the blonde tried to specify, cocking an eyebrow as he looked at the small boy.

"I have never broken a piece to a puzzle. Now the entire puzzle is ruined…without one piece, it simply does not work."

"Kinda like life, huh?" smiled the blonde, grabbing the small piece that had broken off of the piece Near was holding. "You know…but…like with this puzzle, once that small little thing is missing, you realize what a big part it played, and how much you needed it…and now how much you miss it."

Near slowly turned his eyes to Mello, blinking a few times before letting their colored orbs lock solidly.

"That is very…profound of Mello," the small boy said, now twirling the lock of hair rougher. "However, I believe that there is a contra—"

Mello didn't want to hear about any contradictions in his theory, so he dropped the puzzle piece he had been holding on to the floor, pressing the palm of his bare hand against Near's cheek and turning the small boy's face, forcing the black-haired boy to look at him. After a moment's hesitation, he leaned forward and pressed a slow kiss to his lips, Near neither kissing back nor pulling away. For a moment, Mello thought that this was a terrible idea, and it was too soon, and Near wouldn't possibly want any human touch whatsoever—but it was at the last instant of that exact moment that Near leaned into the blonde, lifting his own hand and pressing it to the left side of Mello's face, feeling his burn scar through his fingertips.

"Near…" the blonde whispered softly, moving himself further on to the bed, wrapping his arms around the small boy. "Are you going to be okay?"

The black-haired boy didn't respond, but when he turned around to allow himself to bring his lips to the blonde's again, he stretched his leg and shoved the blank puzzle off of the bed. The many pieces dropped to the floor, some breaking, some scattering underneath nearby pieces of furniture, but each falling out of place and breaking the norm. Maybe it was better that way—now Near had a blank puzzle board to create a fresh, new puzzle on. If you asked Mello, he'd had that same damn puzzle for much too long.

"I would like it…if Mello would allow me to…kiss him once again," Near said, blinking a few times, the very slightest of shy blushes dusting the height of his cheeks.

Mello didn't know if this was pure curiosity, or if it felt better just to be enveloped in another pair of arms, or if he actually wanted this like Mello did—but at the moment, he didn't care. He wanted the small boy, and even if he was kind of taking advantage of the situation, he didn't give a damn. Nodding, he brought their lips together once again, feeling the small boy tense up slightly. However, as Mello softly ran his tongue along the small boy's bottom lip, he felt him begin to relax and enjoy the sensation, a small whine forming in the back of his throat as he parted his lips to allow Mello as much or as little access as he desired. The blonde slipped his tongue into the hot cavern, beginning to explore, feeling Near's tongue attempting to do the same to him.

Near didn't taste like anything Mello had ever tried before…he was slightly sweet, and it reminded Mello of the first time he had tried a chocolate bar—it was simply perfect, and he knew he never wanted to stop tasting it. Trying to get more of the newfound taste, the blonde began to run his tongue against the smaller boy's own, eliciting a small whimper from him, as well as a slight spark of aggression. Pushing his own tongue past the blonde's lips, Near insisted on tasting him as well, not just wanting to lie back and be the total submissive. Mello had no doubt that he tasted of the many chocolate bars he had eaten that day, eaten them even when Near told him he should be eating foods that were healthy and would help him regain energy and vitamins.

"Mmm…Mell…o…" he whined softly, crawling closer to the blonde man, pressing their torsos together and allowing Mello to flip him on to his back. His slightly-longer-than-normal black hair sprawled against the pure white of the sheets, and his pale fingers weaved themselves into Mello's own golden locks, fingers feeling where a small piece was much shorter than the rest—it must have been the piece Beyond cut off. Shuddering slightly at the memory, he began to twirl the short lock of hair around his index finger, the feeling more comforting that anything.

The feeling of his shirt falling open was what snapped him out of his memory-induced haze, and the sensation of Mello's lips at his collarbone was what brought him back to the moment. It felt better than he thought it would…Mello's oral fixation must have something to do with it, he guessed, but as the blonde looked up at him, he decided that the time for contemplation was over.

"Near…" the blonde said, his voice the only sound besides Near's slightly irregular pants. "Are you _sure_…? I mean, we—"

Near sat up and cut Mello off with a kiss, his nails digging into the blonde's back as he pulled the larger man down on top of him, his fingers dragging underneath the plain black shirt he had let him borrow.

"Unless Mello does not want to…"

That was the last word of consent that needed to be spoken, so Mello gladly accepted his role as Near's comfort, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy and pulling his pale, unclothed torso closer to his body. Slipping his lips away from Near's, he moved them to his cheek, gently dragging his tongue along the soft skin there, slowly working his way down to his jaw. Apparently enjoying the erotic feeling of Mello's warm tongue against his flesh, Near let out a small purr, fingers clenching and slightly tugging at Mello's silky locks. The blonde enjoyed Near's reactions as much as the smaller boy was enjoying his actions, so he moved his teeth to Near's pale jaw, nudging a lock of black hair out of the way before beginning to nip at the unblemished skin that resided there.

"M-Mnn…"

Mello continued along his trail, moving his lips to Near's earlobe, biting at the flesh there before kissing behind his ear, his hands slowly making their way to the smaller boy's bare stomach. As he moved his lips down, he arrived at the burn mark Beyond had left with the straightener, and a small flame of anger formed itself in the pit of his stomach—Near tried to grab his head and turn it away from the 'ugly' blemish, but Mello refused to give in to Near's shyness. He brought his lips to the reddened skin, pressing them against it as softly as he could muster, not wanting to hurt the black-haired boy.

"You really think I care about a little blemish when half my face is melted off?" he asked, his voice low as he brought his eyes to Near's, seeing the small boy's uncomfortable squirm as his blue orbs flickered back to the small burn. "You touch mine…can't I touch yours?"

Near finally allowed Mello to slip his shirt off the rest of the way, and the blonde ran his fingertips up and down Near's arms before gently resting the small boy back on the bed, making sure he was comfortable before continuing. Observing his flushed face, Mello brought their lips together once again, his hands moving down to the waistband of Near's baggy pajama pants and slipping them down. He was slightly surprised when he saw that the small boy had no underwear on, and he could tell by Near's slight pause in the kiss that he was embarrassed—however, he spoke a moment later.

"I was not expecting this to happen…" he said softly, another blush dusting his face.

"It's sexy," the blonde said, his voice slightly husky as he brought a hand to Near's small cock, giving it an experimental squeeze, watching as Near's face flushed and a moan dropped from his lips. His hands clenched Mello's hair slightly tighter as the blonde brought his lips to the small boy's chest, running his tongue along pert nipples. Near softly untangled one of his hands from the blonde's hair, hesitating before bringing it to the man's inner thigh, tracing it up and pressing it against his groin a moment later, wanting to see if the blonde was as aroused as he was. Feeling that Mello was much bigger than him, Near blushed slightly as he heard Mello let out a soft moan, pressing his hips back against Near's hand encouragingly.

Reaching up and grabbing one of the blonde's hands, he brought the tips of three of the blonde's fingers to his mouth, beginning to suck on them. He removed his own hand a moment later, bringing it back to Mello's golden locks, re-entangling them in the silky strands. Mello slowly moved his fingers in and out of Near's mouth, getting them evenly coated with saliva, blue eyes fixated on his flushed face as he continued to allow Mello to slide his fingers past his lips. After the blonde decided they were slickened enough, he pulled them out of Near's mouth and began to tease the sensitive skin around his tight entrance, eliciting another moan.

"H-Hahnn…"

Suddenly, the blonde pushed all three fingers in, causing Near's eyes to open and his back to arch slightly as he tried to accommodate the feeling. Mello waited for the small boy to adjust slightly before he eased the digits in further, wriggling them around and searching for the small boy's sweet spot, using his free hand to stroke Near slightly. After a few thrusts of his fingers, he hit it dead-on, the small boy's creamy thighs falling languid and allowing the blonde to do as he wished.

"M-Mello…nnnh…t-there…!" he mewled, pushing back against Mello's fingers as the blonde eased them in further, now beginning to scissor them against his sweet spot. After scissoring him a few more times, the blonde decided that Near was ready enough, and he just didn't want to wait anymore—he slipped his fingers out of the small boy, unlacing his pants and freeing his dripping erection. However, as he was about to readjust himself, Near stopped him. Gray eyes blinked up at him a few times before he gathered his voice, the tone lusty and the pitch slightly shaky.

"Please…take them all off," he said, tugging at the zipper to Mello's vest, wrapping his legs around the blonde's hips. "I want to be able to see Mello as well…"

The blonde complied, allowing Near to take off his vest and toss it on the floor while he stripped himself of his own pants, the leather material soon following. Just as Near was about to pull him back down, Mello leaned back slightly, noticing that Near still had his socks on. When the small boy gave him a slightly confused look, he only gave the tiniest of grins and said, "We have to be fair, now…" and stripped Near of his socks. Now that both of them were completely free of clothes, Mello leaned down again, locking their lips as he brought the tip of his throbbing erection to Near's entrance. Swallowing his slightly torn cry of pain as he pushed in, Mello tried to be gentler as he felt Near adjusting. The blonde couldn't help but let out a groan of pleasure at the tightness, but it wasn't until he felt Near's thin legs around his waist once again, urging him in further, did he begin to move.

"P-Please…a-aaaah…ah…ah…hahh…!" he moaned, feeling Mello slam into his sweet spot on his first thrust. "M-Mello, harder!"

As Mello began to move slightly faster, pushing into the boy deeper, harder, low groans falling from his lips, he slipped a hand between their two sweating bodies and gently began to pump Near in time with his thrusts, the small boy moaning and pushing back against him, wanting more contact. He wanted to be as close to Mello as he could possibly be, he wanted to feel the blonde's every movement as though it was his own, and at the very moment the blonde thrust deep into him, it was almost as though he was.

"I-I'm gonna…c-cum…!"

Despite the fact Mello thought he was going to cum before Near, the small boy was on the verge of cumming as well. With one last rough pump from the blonde, combined with a particularly hard thrust, Near spurted hot, white liquid over the both of their chests, his lips falling open as orgasm washed over his small frame. Tightening around Mello, Near tried to bring the blonde pleasure as well, gasping as he felt Mello's seed drench his insides.

They were both panting heavily as Mello pulled out of the smaller boy, holding him closely as he laid himself down on the bed. Eyes connected, and a moment later, Near scooted himself as close to the blonde as he could muster, black mingling with blonde. Mello made sure that the small boy was completely comfortable before closing his own eyes, wondering if, now, he felt safer, even if just a little.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Near, where the hell are we going?" Mello asked desperately, staring out of the helicopter window as he tried to figure out where they could be. They had been on this damned helicopter for hours now, and Near still refused to tell the blonde where they were going. Blue eyes scanning the small boy's face for the umpteenth time, he sighed, exasperated.

"As I told Mello, we will be arriving soon. Please be patient."

"Please fasten your seatbelts, we are landing. I repeat, please fasten your seatbelts, we are landing," the pilot said, the two of them the only passengers in the tiny copter.

The two men complied, Near bringing a knee to his chest and twirling a lock of black hair around his finger, the ends of his longest curls nearly at his shoulders now—he traced his fingers along the ridged skin of his burn scar before turning his attention back to the floor that had held it so raptly this fourteen-hour journey.

After another fifteen minutes, the helicopter was safely landed, and Mello looked out the window only to see a place he never thought he would see again.

Wammy's house.

There were children playing outside on this foggy England day, all of them staring at the helicopter in amazement, and Roger quickly came running out to see what the ruckus was…well, 'quickly' was a subjective term, as the old man was half-dead. Yet, he still insisted on running the orphanage. As the two men stepped out of the helicopter, all eyes went wide, and jaws dropped across the yard.

"Hello, Roger," Near said, twirling a lock of black hair around his finger, feeling Mello pull him closer. "I have not spoken to Roger in quite a while."

"Near…?" the man asked, his eyes flickering to his hair before they moved to the man behind him, Mello being unnoticed until now. "_MELLO?"_

"Correct," said the small boy, taking a few steps forward, all of the children parting like the red sea. _These_ were the two famed rivals that beat Kira by working together, _these_ were the two men, that, when they worked together, surpassed the original L by over forty percent?!?

"Liar…" a little boy whispered to a girl next to him. "You told me that Near had white hair!"

"What happened to his face…?"

"I thought they were rivals! How come they're so close together?"

The two successors walked through all of the rumors, going over to Roger, Mello just following behind Near. He didn't know why the small boy was here, or what they were doing, but he had to admit that he placed his trust fully in the black-haired boy.

"Near, have you decided to work from here, like—"

"We only came for one thing," the small boy interrupted, looking up at Roger. "Would you please take us back to the graveyard?"

"Yes, of course," he said sadly, looking at Mello as it hit him why the two were there. For reasons beyond ones that his old brain could comprehend, Mello was alive—however, he knew that the blonde's best childhood friend, Matt, had not had the same luck. He remembered holding a funeral for the smoking redhead in the very backyard, many of the children coming to witness the day that the two legends had died—all of them knew who the famed 'Ms' were, their signatures were all over the old house, Roger always comparing the newest troublemakers to them…Mello had a grave back there as well, and the two of them had been 'buried' on the same day. Matt's hole-filled body was back there, but Mello only had a headstone with a few ashes buried in the ground in front of it.

"Matt…" the blonde said softly, eyes watering slightly as he rested the cerulean blue orbs on his friend's headstone. The blonde quickly strode the rest of the distance, picking up his pace with each step, finally arriving in front of the grave and dropping to his knees. It didn't seem as though he minded that his leather pants were getting mudstained by the damp ground, or that the other children were peeking around the corner of the old building to see him as he let a few stray tears drip down his cheeks. All it took was one look from Near to get the children running away, however—he knew that Mello would not want to be seen like this in their eyes.

"I believe we should leave…" Roger said quietly, watching as more tears rolled down the blonde's face. The two other intruders went to make their way out of the graveyard, but Mello turned around before they had a chance to completely escape.

"Near…"

Near knew that, by his tone of voice, the blonde wished for him to stay, so he did. Walking over towards him, Near twirled a strand of hair around his finger before crouching down next to Mello, sitting in a way reminiscent of L—both of his knees hunched up to his chest. Gray eyes gently flickered over towards Mello, who seemed to be managing to get his tears under control.

"I love…Mello…" said the small boy, trying to offer him some words of comfort, saying the overused-by-most phrase for the first time.

"Everything will be okay now, Near," whispered the blonde, gently tracing his gloved fingers over the intricate writing on the redhead's grave before standing back up, blue eyes flickering towards the small boy as he stood as well. "We're going to be…safe……I love you."

For the first time in as long as he could remember, Near smiled a sincere smile.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"_C'mon men, get in there!! Move, move, move!" the firefighter captain yelled, throwing his arm and beckoning for the firefighters to storm the burning house. "We've got reports of a body in the basement, get 'im out first and foremost, now MOVE MOVE MOVE!"_

_Firefighters stormed the house, their hoses blazing, one brave, fearless young man running straight into the burning wreck to see if he couldn't save the innocent man in the basement. His wife would be so proud, and his little girl would be able to tell all of her friends at school that her daddy was a hero. After making his way through the excruciating heat, he found the man his captain had been talking about—he looked to be about twenty or thirty, and it looked as though his face had been smashed in by a piece of falling wreckage—but thank dear god, he was still alive. Another life saved, that was all the man could ask for._

_Valiantly, he ran out of the burning house, having the old structure crumble behind him._

"_Get 'im in the ambulance! Todd, does it look like 'e'll survive?!"_

"_I sure hope so, captain! He was breathing irregular and he was pretty burned, but since we got him so soon, he should be back on the streets eventually!"_

_

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**End Note: **OMG. DUDE. CRAZY STORY RIGHT HERE—when I was writing this (all in one afternoon, yes…XD) I drank 13 cups of hot chocolate with whipped cream! THIRTEEN. Isn't that creepy? I wasn't even trying to….oh, and if you don't get the connection right away—thirteen in number form…13 looks like a 'B' for Beyond Birthday. ;'D

Good times. And stomachaches. And I'm still sick with the goddamn flu. *coughs* Leave a review and make my miserable existence more bearable, will you? /end pity-filled review whore.

(Oh, and as one last side note….yes, I do drink hot chocolate with whipped cream whilst writing about sadism, torture, and rape. I also listen to fluffy Vocaloid songs. Is it contradictory to my nature of writing that I'm a vegetarian?)

~FragilePuzzle


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